Occupational Health and Safety

Chapter 12

Learning Outcome

To discuss process links and potential benefits for OH&S with the use of an HRMS

Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational health and safety (H&S) can be described as the identification, evaluation and control of hazards associated with the work

Occupational H&S Cont’d

Other general H&S activities include: medical testing, medicals (pre-employment, during employment, post-employment), medical treatment, first aid, preventative measures (i.e./flu and travel shots), accident prevention and education, accident investigation, recommendations for correction of procedures, equipment, union/management committees, and worker compensation boards.

Increased Awareness of OH&S Issues

• Workers’ Compensation Board costs• Safety legislation• Increasing health care costs• Trends in health care responsibility• Technology• Security and privacy

Legislation

H&S legislation has three major aims:• Prevention: setting minimum standards in the workplace,

along with the means of enforcing these standards.• Employment Security/Compensation: ensuring that injured

workers receive appropriate “Worker’s Compensation”, medical attention, rehabilitation support, and a suitable job to return to, or extended financial support if they are not.

• Employer Liability: ensuring that the employer meets the established H&S standards, and is accountable when the standards are found not to be met.

Legal Issues in OH&S – Due Diligence

• Whether appropriate OH&S policies and procedures exist• Whether legislation, policies and procedures

are translated into effective H&S programs • Whether H&S legislation, policies, procedures

and programs are understood, applied and monitored throughout the organization

Role of an HRMS in OH&S

An organization’s HRMS has a key role to play in collecting, storing and reporting of in formation to assist personnel at all levels of the organization carry out their H&S responsibilities

Role of an HRMS in OH&S Cont’d

• Keep a roster of safety inspections• Maintain the results of accident investigations,

as well as identify and report on trends• Maintain a roster of employees that have

received H&S training and/or certification as well as individuals who are qualified to provide such training• Collect information and provide regular

reports on injuries, medical time-off, and worker’s compensation statistics

HRMS Should Maintain Statistics to:

• identify trends• compare and manage costs• identify priority areas for joint safety committee

attention• allow comparisons with other organization’s in the

same sector • provide reports and returns for the government, and

for internal use

Information Shared with other HRMS Modules

Staffing• pre-employment health declaration• pre-employment medical

Benefits• medical & drug requirementsAttendance Management• medical/health reasons for absence• accident investigation• first aid

Information Shared with other HRMS Modules Cont’d

Wellness Programs• preventative measures• periodic medical testing• education• safety inspections• industrial hygiene programs• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)Employee Relations• H&S union / management committees• incident reports

Inspection Checklists

Include:• Safe use and maintenance of machinery, tools

and equipment.• Environmental factors such as noise,

atmosphere, temperature.• State of storage areas and facilities, especially

as pertaining to hazardous materials.

Inspection Checklists Cont’d

Include:• Storage and use of hazardous materials (do material

safety data sheets exist, and are the materials concerned being stored and used properly?. Has training been complete in accordance with WHMIS?) • Existence and quality of personal protective

equipment.• State of working and walking surfaces.• Adherence to safe working practices.• State and quality of emergency facilities and

equipment.

In Each Check listed Area HRMS Should Document:• Department Inspected, Date, Time • Name of Inspectors• Hazards Observed • Recommended Action, Date Action Taken• Result of follow-up Review by Safety Committee,

Date of Follow-up• Safety Committee Sign-Off

HRMS Accident Reporting Information• Description of Accident, Location, Date, Time• Machinery, Tools, Equipment Involved• Mitigating Environmental Conditions (lighting, atmosphere,

chemicals, working surfaces)• Name of Person(s) Involved• Description of Injury• Job Being Performed• Analysis of Causes• Recommendations• Name and Signature of Investigator, Date• Follow-up Action Taken, Date

Effect on HR of an Accident

• time lost from work due to an accident often triggers the requirement for either a replacement worker or overtime • an injured employee's progression through sick leave, short-

term disability, long-term disability, workers compensation, restricted return to work and unrestricted return to work must be tracked, preferably with the HRMS• external agencies (i.e./Workers' Compensation Boards) and

contractors (such as health case workers) both require and generate data. Most of this information should come from and/or be entered into an HRMS

Effect on HR of an Accident Cont’d

• depending on the nature and cause of an accident, there may be labour relations issues which arise, up to and including strike action

• additional benefits or levels of benefits may be triggered for an injured employee

Question 1

What are some of the factors which are causing occupational health and safety to be the target of increased management attention?

Question 2

Many health professionals see their first duty as being to the individual worker, not the employer. Discuss the varying perspectives on this point of view, and comment on how the different views could impact on the nature of the supporting information systems.

Question 3

For what reasons have H&S modules often not been included in HRMSs in the past? Has anything changed to now make inclusion of occupational health and safety issues in an HRMS more likely?